Jan Buckaloo, now a resident of Wainscott, N.Y., came home to South Texas this past week. Although her primary goal was a visit with her aunt, Lilah Stone Appelt, in Three Rivers, Jan’s trip to Texas was also a celebration of the world premier of her play, "Eudora."

Jan’s one-woman play on the famous Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Eudora Welty, was presented in a workshop production at the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, N.Y., on Oct. 13-14. The work was commissioned by Sybil Burton Christopher and Julie Andrew’s daughter, Emma Walton. In the title role, veteran Broadway and film actress Sloane Shelton recreated 22 voices from the stories and memories of the Mississippi writer, Eudora Welty.

The daughter of the late Robbie and Mac Buckaloo, Jan began her schooling in Three Rivers, where her grandmother, Christine Buckaloo, taught the first grade for 20 years. She attended high school in Kenedy, before going on to St. Mary’s Hall in San Antonio. After receiving her master’s degree from the University of Texas in Austin, Jan taught there briefly before moving to New York. She was a copy editor for Macmillan and free-lanced for other New York publishing houses. She also wrote a weekly column for the Litchfield County Times.

In spite of the fact that Miss Welty’s focus was always on the people in and around Jackson, Miss., the play based on her life has roots in South Texas. The final draft was typed in September of last year by Brenda De La Rosa of Beeville.

In the week following the premier, rave reviews of "Eudora" point to an off-Broadway production in New York City, in the near future. Both comic and poignant, "Eudora" has all the marks of a classic that will be around for years to come.
When interviewed, Buckaloo reminded her South Texas friends that besides writing plays, she loves to cook.